


In the Blink of an Eye

by chamibii



Category: SK8 the Infinity (Anime)
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Canon Divergent, Childhood Friends to Lovers, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Unrequited Love, angst with happy ending, hospital confession
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 11:41:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29982315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chamibii/pseuds/chamibii
Summary: They say that when you are faced with the possibility of dying, your life flashes before your eyes—all of your regrets, the choices that you’ve made, the people that you love—all of that flashes by in the blink of an eye. Joe never really bought into that belief, but then again, he has never really been placed in any life threatening situations. That is until he watches, along with every spectator at S, Adam hit Cherry with enough force to send the man flying from his skateboard and crumpling to the ground.
Relationships: Nanjo Kojiro | Joe/Sakurayashiki Kaoru | Cherry Blossom, Sakurayashiki Kaoru | Cherry Blossom/Ainosuke Shindo | Adam
Comments: 6
Kudos: 163





	In the Blink of an Eye

**Author's Note:**

> If you’ve been victimized by episode 9, you may be entitled to financial compensation. 
> 
> This is just my little canon compliant (somewhat) and headcanon filled story of what takes place in the same timeline of episode 9. The italics denote memories and are purely my headcanons. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

They say that when you are faced with the possibility of dying, your life flashes before your eyes—all of your regrets, the choices that you’ve made, the people that you love—all of that flashes by in the blink of an eye. Joe never really bought into that belief, but then again, he has never really been placed in any life threatening situations. That is until he watches, along with every spectator at S, Adam hit Cherry with enough force to send the man flying from his skateboard and crumpling to the ground. 

Sounds fade slowly. The crowds' simultaneous inhalation of breath and the murmurings fade as his eyes stay locked on the jumbo screens. The only thing he does hear is his ragged breath, loud as it rips through his lungs, and the beating of his heart. His blood ran cold the minute he saw Adam kick his skateboard into his hands. This is why he had to be the one to go against Adam. His brain screams,  _ Come on Cherry. Get up. Please. Get up!! _ , on repeat. None of the spectators move forward to intervene as Adam taunts Cherry. 

His muscles twitch and jump with the urge to do  _ something, anything _ , and before anyone can grab him, which Shadow is starting to move to do so, he bolts. His vision blurs, the abandoned mine swimming as he streaks past everyone. He has to get to Cherry. He has to make sure Cherry is okay. He’s always been there for the man and now he’s fucked up royally by letting him skate against Adam. He fucked up so badly.

“GET AWAY FROM HIM, YOU PIECE OF SHIT,” Joe roars as he comes upon Adam. He doesn’t slow like he intended, but he keeps moving, right hand cocked back, and puts all of the momentum into his punch. His knuckles throb as they come in contact with Adam’s face. The satisfying  _ crack _ of what’s more than likely a broken cheek bone, isn’t enough for him. He wants his forty fucking pounds of flesh. He wants Adam’s head on a goddamn silver platter, but right now he has more important matters to attend to. 

He turns to Cherry, running back towards the fallen man, and falls into a slide next to him. Dirt billows around him and he curses his negligence as he skids to a halt beside Kaoru. His first instinct is to reach out and touch him, but he stops himself when he notices the odd angle at which Cherry’s arm and leg are bent. He recalls being told that you don’t move anyone that has head or neck trauma and given the force with which Cherry hit the ground, this could be the case. Instead, he swipes a dirt covered hand across his face, erasing the torrent of tears, and reaches for Cherry’s uninjured hand. Golden eyes struggle to stay open as a pink head rolls to the side. 

“Hey, Cherry. Kaoru? Stay with me okay? You gotta keep your eyes open and stay awake.” He turns his head over his shoulder to yell, “CALL 119! DON’T JUST FUCKING STARE.” Cherry groans and squeezes his hand weakly. 

Fuck. Fuck. FUCK! 

This wasn’t supposed to happen. They discussed every possibility of where can go wrong and being hurt in this way, didn’t make the list. They didn’t expect Adam to pull something as sick as this. 

His shoulders shake with the force of poorly contained sobs. One slips free, raw and visceral, causing Cherry to struggle to open his eyes and mumble, “Sorry Ko-Kojiro.” 

Joe wipes his face again and swallows around the lump in his throat to say, “Don’t apologize, okay? Talk to me about anything _ else _ . Okay, Cherry?” The grip on his hand slips as Cherry’s eyes roll shut. A pale hand lands in the dirt with a muted thud. Any fight that Kaoru had left, flows from his body at a much slower pace than the red that seeps from underneath his head, coloring his hair an unbecoming and ghastly hot pink. “No. Nononononono. Cherry? Cherry?!” Joe moves to grasp his shoulders, but a paramedic grabs him, pulling him away from his friend, as they work to stabilize him enough to transport. The woman’s mouth is moving, but Joe can’t hear her. He’s focused on the team loading Kaoru onto a gurney. 

“—nearest hospital. Are you his—“ 

Her voice fades in and out yet oddly enough he can answer her questions despite not hearing her clearly. “I’m his emergency contact. His next of kin is his mother. She’s abroad. I’ll contact her.” 

When her mouth stops moving, she turns to the ambulance, and begins to climb in the back. Kojiro is behind her, foot lifted and ready to climb in, when she stops him. “I’m sorry sir, but you can’t ride with us. There’s no room.” Her brows pull together and the corners of her mouth turn down as she shakes her head. “We’ll meet you at the nearest hospital, okay?” 

Joe begins to argue, but a cold hand on his bicep startles him. “Come on Joe. Hiromi is waiting for us.” Langa’s voice sounds foreign as it’s weighed down by his overwhelming sadness. “We’re going to the hospital.” 

Joe nods. “Yeah, hospital. Okay. Kaoru, I’ll see you there. Okay? I’m not leaving you. I swear. I just can’t ride with you. But I’ll be there okay? I promise.” He’s dragged by Langa and guided into the passenger seat of the flower shop employee vehicle. 

It isn’t just his life that flashes before his eyes, but the life he’s lived with Kaoru.

*******

_ Kojiro is squatting in the sand box, running his cars through the dirt. “Vrooom! Vroooooom! Skkkrt!” He’s been playing car chase and the police are just about to catch up to the bad guy! The bad guy narrowly escapes some old lady crossing the street (really just a rock he found that kinda looks like an old lady) and is just about to outrun the cops but the sun is suddenly gone and the bad guy can’t see!  _

_ Wait… what happened to the sun?  _

_ Kojiro lifts his head to squint up at a small kid. He’s wringing the bottom of his shirt in his hands and staring at his feet. “You just gonna stand there or are you gonna be the cop?” He holds out the toy police car and waits...and waits...and waits.  _

_ Finally, a trembling hand reaches out to take the toy. “My name is Sakurayashiki Kaoru. What’s your name?” _

_ “Nanjo Kojiro.” _

_ He explains the nature of the game but when the kid hesitates to actually play, Kojiro huffs a small sigh and pushes green curls out of his face to ask his new friend, “What do you wanna do?” _

_ Kaoru hangs his head and shrugs his thin shoulders. “I dunno. I’ve never gone on the swings. My mom says they’re too dangerous.”  _

_ Kojiro’s mouth drops open. “You what?!” He hops to his feet and grabs Kaoru’s hand. “Come on!” He marches the boy over to the swing set and sweeps his hand open towards the swings. “Well?”  _

_ “My mom says—“ Kaoru starts, but Kojiro interrupts,  _

_ “Listen Kaoru, you’re my friend and I’m not gonna let you get hurt, okay? I’ll push you and then run around to the front so if you fall, I can catch you, ‘kay? No matter how many times you fall, I’ll be here to catch you.”  _

_ Kaoru nods and settles onto the swing, gripping the chains tightly. Nerves have his voice shaking as he says, “Don’t push me too high, okay?”  _

_ Kojiro grabs hold of the seat of the swing and steps back, pulling Kaoru up, up, and then letting go, laughing loudly as Kaoru squeals. “Ya gotta kick your legs out when you fly up and then pull ‘em in when you swing back!” He pushes Kaoru a few more times before running around to see him with his eyes screwed tightly shut and his entire body trembling.  _

_ “Kojiro?! I don’t like this. I wanna get down.” He starts to squirm forward, his grip loosening on the chains as he wriggles.  _

_ “Don’t do that!” _

_ “Don’t tell me what to do! I’m scared and it’s all your fault!” Kaoru shouts as he lets go of the chains. “I wanna get down!”  _

_ Kojiro tries to warn his new friend to hold on again, to wait until he can run back around and grab the swing to stop him, but before he can, Kaoru is sliding forward mid-air. He runs forward and sprawls out on the spongy foam floor of the swing set just as Kaoru falls on top of him with a loud “oof.”  _

_ “Ugh you’re heavy!” Kojiro whines. “Get offa me!” He pushes up so Kaoru falls from his back and plops down on his butt. “You don’t listen good, do you?”  _

_ Kaoru looks over at him with a gleam in his eyes and a wild grin to ask, “Can we do that again?”  _

_ From then on, the two were inseparable. They met at the playground daily, even stomping around in the rain and running around in the heat. Their childhood seemed to fly by in a blur of ice pops, scarred knees, and multiple mishaps on the swings. Kojiro learned that Kaoru was extremely cautious, but when cajoled to do something, he eventually loved it and quickly figured out how to enjoy it with minimal risks.  _

_ Middle School brought new challenges to the pair in their third year, namely Kojiro glancing at Kaoru as he’s laughing with a friend, head thrown back and shoulder length pink hair falling away from his face, and thinking, “Holy shit, he’s pretty.” He freaks out about it for a while, doing his best to not let this new found revelation drive a rather confusing wedge between them. He thinks he’s experiencing his first crush, but he’s not certain. He’s heard the kids in their class talk about how liking someone makes their heart race. Some of the boys even said their hands get sweaty.  _

_ He wipes his hands on his pants, cursing silently as his heart thuds in his chest. The walk home is fraught with his constant stream of internal dialogue. How can he have a crush on his best friend? Wouldn’t that ruin the relationship? Does he want to have a boyfriend? What if Kaoru likes him too? Should he say something or no? Kaoru seems none the wiser as he chats about their school day and inquires about Kojiro’s plans for the weekend.  _

_ “You coming over again? My mom said it’s okay. She was talking to your mom when I asked, so she said it’s okay too.”  _

_ Kojiro shoves his hands in his pockets and nods. “Yup. What do you wanna do?”  _

_ Kaoru skips out in front and turns around to face Kojiro as he walks backwards. “I started watching videos of people skateboarding.” He smiles, a dazzlingly bright and beautiful thing that almost makes him look wild.  _

_ Kojiro’s heart skips a beat for multiple reasons— A: whenever Kaoru smiles like that nothing good usually comes of it and B: whenever Kaoru smiles like that, Kojiro realizes that he does everything within his power to make that smile stay. He doesn’t take the bait right away though, Kaoru has to squirm a bit. “Oh yeah! Seems interesting. Video games and a movie?” _

_ Kaoru slows to a stop and puts his hand up, halting Kojiro in his tracks. “Video games and a— no! Didn’t you hear me say I’ve been watching videos of skateboarding? Don’t you want to try it?” _

_ Kojiro rolls his eyes and swats Kaoru’s hand away. “I do, but you don’t. You say you wanna try new things, you do, you freak out, and then somehow  _ **_I_ ** _ get hurt.” _

_ Kaoru scoffs, “When did that ever happen?” _

_ “Need I remind you of the sw—“ _

_ “If you say the swing set incident—“ _

_ “Swing set incident of our youth?”  _

_ “We were 8! How was I supposed to know that you would dive forward like that?!” Kaoru huffs as he turns on his heels to stalk forward. _

_ “Because I told you I’d catch you! You skinny jerk!”  _

_ Kaoru glances over his shoulder, same wild smile from earlier curling up his lip. “So then that promise still stands, yes?”  _

_ Goddamnit.  _

_ “Yes,” Kojiro sighs.  _

_ “Great! I bought a board already and borrowed one from that kid at school. You know the one with the purple hair? He’s always late to class? He’s been showing me the basics so we’ll be good!”  _

_ Except, he wasn’t. Kojiro picked it up fairly easily, as he does with every physical activity. Kaoru on the other hand… _

_ He slips from the skateboard again, landing on the pavement with a soft ‘whump’ and a frustrated exhale. “What am I doing wrong?!”  _

_ Kojiro extends his hand and helps Kaoru to his feet. “You’re thinking too much. Remember when you stopped being afraid of the swings and just let go? Do that. Just let go. I’ll catch you this time, okay?”  _

_ Kaoru pushes disheveled pink strands out of his face and sets his mouth in a determined line. He grabs hold of Kojiro’s shoulders to steady himself and situates his feet on the board. He uses his right leg to kick and push, steadily building up speed as he glides forward.  _

_ Kojiro does the same, staying close behind him as they move. Kaoru must have gotten excited at his momentum because he looks back with a smile and a shout of victory that ends with him shifting his weight incorrectly and tipping back. Kojiro can see the fear in Kaoru’s eyes and he hops off his borrowed board in time to be used as a human pillow. They land with Kaoru squarely in his lap. Their boards crash into the brick fence a few yards up ahead and Kaoru turns his head to mumble,  _

_ “Sorry Kojiro.”  _

_ He definitely has a crush. He’s never been more nervous to touch Kaoru. The weight of his friend's body in his arms feels...right. It makes his heart flutter and his stomach feel like it does during a big drop on a roller coaster. Kojiro reaches up to brush the hair out of Kaoru’s eyes, fingering the long strands before tucking them behind a newly pierced ear.  _

_ “Dude, what is that?!” _

_ A blush rapidly reddens Kaoru’s face as his hand flies up to his ear. “Nothing. I just thought it would look—“  _

_ “You look so cool!” Kojiro interrupted. “Did it hurt? Does it hurt? Did you do it yourself?”  _

_ Kaoru pushes up to his feet and helps Kojiro up. “Yes to all of your questions. Now,” he smiles that breathtaking smile, his eyes twinkling with mischief as he says, “can we do that again?”  _

_ By their third year of high school, skating was their preferred (and really only) method of transportation. Anything that Kaoru set his mind to, he excelled in and in just three short years, he was a better skater than Kojiro. He skated hard and dirty, same reckless grin on his face as he landed trick after trick, same reckless grin on his face as he narrowly escaped falling. They both were great, but Kaoru skated with his heart and soul, amassing a small following of high school boys who just wanted to be around him because of his reputation. Kojiro knew it was more than that though. By 18, Kaoru was even more breathtaking. He had pierced his ears several more times and had a lip ring that he often fiddled with as well. His shoulder length hair now hung nearly to his mid back and he always kept half of it pulled back with just a fringe of bang. He finally grew in height, standing a few inches below Kojiro, but he remained slender. Kojiro knew most, if not all of their friends, hung around because of Kaoru’s beauty. He wasn’t jealous though, because Kaoru let it be known that  _ **_they_ ** _ were best friends and that wasn’t going to change. _

_ They’re skating with their crew at an abandoned pier after school when they hear the sound of cheering and applause. They should be the only ones there though, so Kaoru and Kojiro take off running and hop on their boards to head towards the sound of trespassers. They happen upon another group of kids, one of them who looks absolutely obnoxious to Kojiro, despite not being able to see him clearly thanks to shaggy blue hair and a large hood covering his face. He comes to a stop and kicks his board up into his hands, walking forward to demand they leave when Kaoru stops him by patting his shoulder.  _

_ Kaoru jerks his chin forward towards the other group. “What are you guys doing here?”  _

_ The blue haired kid speaks in a deep, rich voice, “Same as you and yours.”  _

_ Kaoru pops a hand on his hip and narrows his eyes in their direction. “Well we were here first so you need to leave.” _

_ “Is this place not big enough for all of us?” _

_ “Doesn’t matter. We were here first. Come back later.”  _

_ “Or,” the other teen drawls, “I can challenge you to a beef.”  _

_ Kojiro watches as Kaoru’s face lights up. “Alright,” he relents. “How are we gonna do this?”  _

_ “We’ll stack the skateboards and whoever ollies the highest without falling or knocking down a board, wins. They get to stay. Other crew has to leave. Deal?”  _

_ “Deal,” Kojiro agrees, stepping forward to take the challenge. He’s stopped, once again, by Kaoru reaching out to grab his shoulder. He can hear the same heart stuttering grin from their youth clearly in Kaoru’s voice.  _

_ “I got this.”  _

_ They stack four boards and Kaoru takes off, easily and perfectly clearing them. They continue taking turns, stacking boards until they were the only two left with them. The challenger easily clears the obstacle, catching enough air to make it seem as if he were flying. In that moment, Kojiro feels jealousy so strong that it absconds with his breath. Kaoru has never looked at him the way he’s staring, wide eyed and in awe, at the other kid.  _

_ “How about we call it a draw?” Hoodie asks.  _

_ Kojiro waits for Kaoru to tell him no. He waits for his friend, and crush, to tell them that this has been their spot since first year in high school and he needs to leave. But he never does. Instead he exhales,  _

_ “Can you teach me to get air like that?”  _

_ From that day forward, the  _ **_three_ ** _ of them become inseparable. They learn that their new friend is named Adam and he prefers to not show his face. Every time Kojiro asks why, the story changes. He doesn’t necessarily trust Adam, but he doesn’t say anything either, believing his jealousy is the reason why. He tries to push his feelings aside for his friend, but he struggles. He begins to notice he becomes irritable even when Adam isn’t around, because Kaoru won’t stop talking about him.  _

_ “Adam invited me to watch him skate somewhere around here,” Kaoru brings up one afternoon. They’re in Kojiro’s room working on homework. He’s sprawled out across the full size bed, books and papers surrounding him, while Kojiro is seated at his desk.  _

_ He pauses, the scratching of his pen against paper ceasing as he tenses up. “You going?”  _

_ “Mhm,” Kaoru hums. “He said we should both come up with aliases if we’re going to continue skating the way we do.”  _

_ They’ve narrowly escaped security, pissed off pedestrians on the street, and actually have been “banned” from certain business areas for skating on property. Kojiro turns in his seat and stares over at Kaoru. “Cherry Blossom.”  _

_ Kaoru lifts his head and blinks over at him. “I don’t hate it. What about you?” _

_ Kojiro takes this time to muster some courage and mutters, “I like when you call me Joe so that’s okay. I guess.”  _

_ Kaoru laughs softly and tosses a ball of paper at Kojiro. “You’re so easy to please, Joe.”  _

_ Joe can feel his cheeks warming up and before Kaoru, now known as Cherry Blossom, notices it, he turns around to finish his assignment. “Be careful okay?”  _

_ Kaoru scoffs, “Okay dad.”  _

_ “No, seriously. Whenever we skate with Adam, something happens. So just.. be careful.”  _

_ His words come full circle one evening. They end up being chased by police and when they turn under a bridge, Cherry loses his footing. He starts to move forward to catch his best friend, but Adam intervenes, grabbing a slender wrist and pulling Cherry into his arms. Kojiro has no choice but to watch as Kaoru falls  _ **_hard_ ** _ , despite being on solid ground.  _

_ Something  _ **_always_ ** _ fucking happens.  _

_ The two orient themselves quickly and they push off, rushing to a spot hidden from view. Cherry is laughing so hard that he snorts, which causes Joe to laugh as well. Adam pulls off his hood with a chuckle and Joe has to consciously keep his fists from balling up when Cherry actually gasps.  _

_ “Adam! Your face.”  _

_ Adam turns and shakes his hair out of his face, revealing gorgeous red eyes and an undoubtedly handsome face. “It’s okay,” he smiles, “You guys are special.”  _

_ Joe’s eyes narrow as he spies Cherry’s ears glow a fiery red.  _

_ “We are?” Cherry asks with a soft tone.  _

_ Joe interrupts before Adam can respond. “It’s getting late, Cherry. You told your mom you’d stay over my place tonight. Let’s go.”  _

_ Cherry doesn’t look to make eye contact with Joe when he dismisses him with a wave. “Cover for me. I’m going to stay with Adam for a while.” _

_ Joe grabs Cherry’s arm and turns him around. His honey red eyes flicker back and forth between gold ones as he searches for confirmation of the truth. His suspicions are confirmed when Cherry drops his eyes and a light blush dusts his cheek bones.  _

_ “I won’t be out late. Just...please?” Cherry whispers.  _

_ Joe drops his hand and nods, a lump settling in his throat and rendering him speechless. He doesn’t say anything else, he can’t, instead he skates away, fighting back unjustified tears of anger and jealousy. It’s not like he’s told Kaoru that he’s been in love with him since the third year of middle school. He was building up the courage and waiting for the perfect time. Had he been the one to catch Kaoru before he fell, would things be different between them now?  _

_ This question plagues him for months, right up until Adam announces,  _

_ “I can’t play with you guys anymore. My father is sending me to America after we graduate.” He says this out of the blue, face void of any emotion as he stares out at the ocean. The setting sun reflects in his eyes, making them glow a bright red.  _

_ “Wait, what?” Cherry pushes away from the railing. By his facial expression—eyes widened and mouth opened—Joe can tell this is news the two hadn’t discussed privately. “Why didn’t you tell me?” _

_ “I’m telling you both now,” Adam shrugs.  _

_ “What does that mean for-for us?”  _

_ Joe knows Cherry isn’t talking about the three of them, but the relationship he and Adam have been hiding, or trying to, for the past few months. _

_ “It means that we won’t see each other for several years and you shouldn’t wait around. I gotta go,” Adam sighs as he walks away. _

_ “Wait. Adam.” Cherry runs to catch up with him.  _

_ Joe watches from afar as Cherry reaches out to take Adam’s hand. They intertwine fingers briefly before Adam pulls away with a shake of his head. Cherry grabs his hand again and when Adam snatches it away he also shoves the pink haired teen by the shoulders.  _

_ Joe springs into action, racing forward to step between them. “What the fuck, man?!”  _

_ “It’s okay Joe,” Cherry reassures him with a voice cracking from emotion.  _

_ Joe whips around to level an incredulous stare at Cherry. “No it’s not. Your boyfriend just pushed you.” _

_ “Boyfriend?” Adam scoffs. “I hardly call what we had a relationship. We just—“ he stammers over his words, “we just hook up from time to time. It’s meaningless.” _

_ Cherry recoils and takes a step back. “Meaningless? Oh. Okay.”  _

_ Joe’s fists ball at his side and without a second thought he’s pulling a hand back. The fact that Adam doesn’t flinch, doesn’t put his hands up to stop, but just stands there ready and willing to take a hit to the face, makes Joe drop his hand.  _

_ “I don’t want to fight you,” Adam says softly and Joe knows it’s not directed at him. “I don’t want to grow to hate you or resent you. So let me go. Let this be what it was—just kids having fun. We grew up. We grew out of it. We’re done.” He walks away without another word, leaving Joe to fulfill his promise.  _

_ He literally catches Cherry as he breaks. His best friend turns to face and crumbles, a loud sob escaping from trembling lips as his knees give out. He holds Cherry to his chest, shushing him softly as he eases them into a sitting position. “Why didn’t you tell me about you two?”  _

_ “What was I supposed to say? I haven’t come out yet and-and what if you didn’t want to be my friend anymore?”  _

_ Joe inhales slowly and tilts Cherry’s face up to wipe his tears away. “I would never end our friendship over that. I l—“  _

_ “I love him.” Three words drive a knife so deep in Joe’s chest that he fears he’ll bleed out although there’s no physical wound. “He-he was my first,” Cherry cries. “And then for him to just… I don’t mean anything?” _

_ Even though Joe wants to hold Cherry’s face and let him know that he means everything to him, he doesn’t. He’s not an opportunist. He’s a best friend and he realizes today that if that’s all he’ll ever be, that’s more than enough for him.  _

_ Cherry changed that day. It wasn’t drastic and over night, but gradually he built up a wall so high that even in his wildest dreams, Joe was hesitant to try and scale it. Over the years, without Adam, they fall into a routine that involves mild flirting in the form of scathing banter. At least that’s how Joe sees it. They’ve consistently been there to support one another; Cherry was there when he opened Sia La Luce and he was there when Cherry received an award for his calligraphy for the first time. Things become upended when they get wind of Adam not only being back home, but also being a diet member. _

_ Joe slides a plate of vegetarian lasagna across the counter to Cherry. “Has he contacted you?”  _

_ “Why would he? It’s been six years since he left.” _

_ Joe waits until Cherry swallows the bite of food to say, “I heard he’s still skating. Someone said that he practiced a lot while in America and now that he’s back, he’s looking to sponsor someone for the Japan national team.”  _

_ Cherry quietly states, “I don’t care.”  _

_ “I want to challenge him to a beef. The way he left things…” Joe hedges.  _

_ Cherry’s fork loudly clatters to the plate and he reaches for a napkin to blot his mouth. “The way he left things doesn’t concern you. You should learn to worry about yourself Kojiro. What happened to that one girl you were dating? _

_ She wasn’t you, Joe thinks, but says aloud with a shrug, “Didn‘t work out.” _

_ “So worry about your affairs instead of meddling in mine.”  _

_ Joe listens as well as he can until the day he receives a video message from Adam. His face is covered like it was in late adolescence, but instead of using his hood he has on a masquerade half mask. His hair is blown out and styled in a way that makes Joe liken the man to a fussy cockatiel.  _

_ “Hello Nanjo Kojiro. Or should I say, Fastest Six Pack Skater? Consider this your formal invite to S. All of your questions will be answered when you attend. Oh. And bring your little friend. I would text him, but it seems he has me blocked.” The video ends abruptly, but is followed by text instructions detailing where to go and that secrecy is required.  _

_ Joe immediately tells Cherry and within two nights' time, they’re at an abandoned mine, watching as Adam, the Matador of Love, explains S. The rush that Joe gets as he watches the first beef that takes place, is a feeling he hadn’t felt in years. He looks over at Cherry and notices his brow pinched together in consternation. _

_ “What?”  _

_ “It’s—I heard that he really hurt a few people he’s skated with,” Cherry mentions. “Some kid wound up hospitalized and ended up quitting skating all together.” He looks over at Joe. “He’s reckless. That’s not okay.” _

_ “He’s always been reckless. But you’ve finally gotten over being blinded by his pretty face. It only took you six yea—oww! Fuck! Warn me before you do that.” With a pout that rivals that of a toddlers, Joe rubs his bicep as he glares at Cherry. _

_ “Then you’d avoid it. This isn’t good. We need to challenge him and stop him from hurting anyone else.” _

_ That was their plan. And they tried, and failed, multiple times. It’s only with the arrival of Langa, aka Snow, do they get their chance. And it wasn’t supposed to go down like this. It wasn’t supposed to be Joe watching from the sidelines, on pins and needles as Cherry went up against the one person that seemingly broke his heart beyond repair. It was supposed to be him.  _

*******

“It was supposed to be me,” Joe repeats. “I was supposed to go against Adam. I could have taken a hit like that and been okay but now—“ his voice broke as he placed his head in his hands. 

The fluorescent lighting in the hallway next to Cherry’s room flickers. He, Shadow, Miya, and Langa made it to the hospital shortly after Cherry arrived and when he tried to enter the room, he was pushed out as they assessed the extent of the skaters damage. 

“I promised him. When we were 8, I promised him.” 

Langa sits next to him and squeezes his shoulder gently. “I’m sure you’ve kept your promise, Joe.”

Joe shakes his head emphatically, green, dirt covered curls flying wildly as he does. “I didn’t. I should have been the one to catch him instead of Adam. I should have been there to catch him tonight. And now he-he might not—“ a strangled sob rubs his esophagus raw as he fights to hold it back. 

“Hey,” Hiromi’s voice shakes with his bravado, “Why are you counting him out already? It’s Cherry. He’s too stubborn to-to not make it.” 

“Yeah,” Miya chimes in. “He’ll be okay.”

Joe lifts his head and stares at the band of people he calls friends with red rimmed eyes. “How are you all so sure?” 

“He  _ has _ to be.” Langa insists. “He has to be.”

“I never got a chance to tell him that I—“ 

“—Do you really want to tell us before you tell him?” Hiromi interjects. 

Joe shakes his head again. He hasn’t told anyone, that for the past ten years, he’s been madly in love with Cherry. He knows it’s obvious in the way that they bicker yet immediately jump to the others defense when someone else tries it. He knows the others can tell because they’ve caught him staring openly at Kaoru with, what Reki calls, a “stupid, dopey grin”. They don’t bring it up. They don’t push him to admit his feelings. They’ve heard him share that he’s grateful for Cherry and his friendship and doesn’t want to do anything to jeopardize that. So they leave him be, letting him pine in peace. 

“You need to tell him,” Hiromi cuts across his reverie. “As soon as he wakes up. You’ve had your entire life to tell him and you hesitate each time.” 

“I thought I had more time,” Joe’s breath stutters in his chest as he fights to compose his emotions. “What if he doesn’t remember me? What if his trauma is so extensive that he never wakes up? What if—“ 

A nurse steps into the hallway, wearing a tired smile. “Mr. Nanjo? Kaoru is awake, barely, but he’s asking for you.” 

Joe hops to his feet, quickly wiping his face with his hands as he steps into the hospital room. He pauses as he takes in Kaoru. Bandages are around his head and neck. His arm and leg are immobilized in slings and his eyes are puffy and blackening more with each passing minute. 

“You just gonna stand there or are you gonna be the cop?” Kaoru weakly asks. 

Joe’s laugh sounds more like a sob as he finally moves to sit in the chair next to Cherry’s bed. “You don’t listen good, do you?” 

“Y’know, I don’t want to do that again,” Kaoru tries to joke. “When people tell you that your life flashes before your eyes, they weren’t lying,” he says thickly. 

“Don’t talk. Just rest okay? Besides I have—“ 

“I’m in love with you, Kojiro.” Kaoru chokes out. “I saw my entire life pass in the blink of an eye and each memory was of you. The first time we met, the first time we skated together, how you were always there for me… even with Adam. My biggest regret is that I didn’t tell you. I didn’t want to leave without telling you,” he cries. “I’m so sorry. This isn’t how I imagined telling you and you probably don’t feel the same and I—“ 

Kojiro takes Kaoru’s hand in his and kisses each finger before leaning in to wipe away the tears that have let go of their hold on long pink lashes to kiss his cheeks. “You’re pretty stupid, did you know that?” 

“If you’re going to end our friendship, don’t be rude about it,” Kaoru sniffs. 

“Why would I do that? I’m pretty sure I’ve been in love with you since we were 8. I just didn’t know it until I was 14.” 

“You—love me?” Kaoru tries to turn his head, but Kojiro stands and peers down at him. 

“Yes. But I’m also  _ in love  _ with you. That whole life-flashing-before-your-eyes-as-you-die thing? That happened to me tonight. Watching you lay there helpless and hurting...seeing you fall unconscious…I felt like I was dying. You’re my entire life and you have been since childhood. My happiest memories involve you. My saddest memories involve never taking the chance to tell you that I’m wholly and irrevocably in love with you, Kaoru. Kaoru?” Soft snores fill the hospital room and the nurse steps forward, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. 

“Hospital confessions are always so moving,” she sniffs. “We need to run a few tests, Mr. Nanjo. We’ll let you know when everything is done. For now, please join your friends in the waiting room.” She leads him forward and beckons the other nurses back into the room. 

Joe makes it back to the lobby and is surprised to see Reki there. “I didn’t know you knew.” 

Reki smiles sadly as he says, “Langa texted me. I’m sorry I wasn’t there. How-how is he?” The redhead is unusually pale and Joe swears softly as he recalls Reki having gone through this scenario already. 

“Awake and talking. Although he fell asleep towards the end of my confession of love,” he shrugs.

“You owe me ten bucks,” Miya points at Hiromi. 

“We don’t know if Joe confessed first!” 

“I, uh, didn’t,” Joe blushes. 

“ _ You  _ owe  _ me _ ten bucks!” Hiromi gloats. 

“What kind of adult takes money from a child?” 

“The kind of adult who takes the child’s bet. Now cough it up or walk home, shrimp.” 

Joe’s hit with sudden exhaustion and he collapses in the chair next to Reki. “How you holdin’ up?” 

“I don’t know what you mean,” he deflects. 

“Bullshit. I know the same thing happened to your friend. And you aren’t talking to Langa right now either. So, how you holdin’ up?” 

Reki exhales a shaky sigh and turns watery eyes to stare over at Joe. “I keep thinking that it could have been Langa. That it  _ will  _ be Langa. Then what?”

“You want my advice?” Reki nods and Joe claps him on the shoulder as he says, “Don’t wait for seven years or for a life threatening event to tell him how you feel. You like him. Tell him that. You deserve to let your feelings be heard and so does he.” He yawns loudly and stretches out his legs, shifting in the seat until he’s somewhat comfortable. The weight of the night’s events continue to settle around him and soon he’s asleep, dreaming of the moment, 16 years ago, when he laid eyes on his future. 

*******

  
  


“I promise I’m fine,” Kaoru complains. “Stop fussing over me. You’re worse than my mother.”

Kojiro folds his arms over his chest and narrows his eyes at Kaoru. “Seriously, why are you here right now? Shouldn’t you be resting?” 

Carla steers without provocation and comes to a halt at the low bar table. “I’ve been resting since my release.”

“You mean since you snuck out “ Kojiro corrects. 

Kaoru deadpans, “It’s just a scratch.” 

“Just a scratch, my ass! You look like a mummy.”

Kaoru holds the wine bottle and shakes it a bit, looking up at Kojiro with sad eyes. “It’s empty.” 

“Next time you bring one, yeah?” 

“I’m injured.” 

“All of a sudden,” Kojiro rolls his eyes. “Can I ask you something?” 

Kaoru turns a shade of pink that makes his hair pale in comparison. “Of course.”

“Did you really mean what you said in the hospital or was it because of everything else?” 

“Did you mean it?” Kaoru softly asks. 

Now it’s Kojiro’s turn to blush. He coughs lightly and nods. “Yeah. I’m in love with you. I didn’t imagine I would tell you and then you’d immediately fall asleep, but…” he shrugs, “guess a concussion will do that to you.” He opens another bottle of wine and pours them both a glass. 

“Of course I meant it. I don’t know when I realized it. I think I always have but my feelings were so intense that it’s scary sometimes.” 

Kojiro turns in his seat to gently cup Kaoru’s face. He leans in and brushes his lips against Kaoru’s, whispering, “Remember the promise I made you when we were kids?”

“How can I forget?” 

He kisses Kaoru again, savoring the taste of a wine soaked mouth that parts easily for him. He allows himself the brief second of pleasure he derives from tasting the love of his life for the first time. When he pulls away, his heart skips a beat as that same wild grin brightens Kaoru’s face and he asks, 

“Can we do that again?” 


End file.
